


Interstate.

by passenger_pigeon



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Polyamory, Road Trips, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:54:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/passenger_pigeon/pseuds/passenger_pigeon
Summary: It was Drew, who came up with the idea, because of course it was.
Relationships: Danny Gonzalez/Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner/Danny Gonzalez, Kurtis Conner/Drew Gooden/Danny Gonzalez
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43





	1. Illinois.

It was Drew, who came up with the idea, because of course it was. 

“We should go on a road trip,” he said, “You know, like in bad romcoms.”

“And good rom coms!” Kurtis couldn’t resist arguing for the sake of arguing, “”It Happened One Night” is classic.”

“Agreed. So we should look at them for reference, not at “The Bounty Hunter” or some other bullshit.

“Well, yeah, that’s for sure. And we’re not coming close to any hills! Mr. Lovecraft has taught me better.”

“Okay, no Vermont than. Don’t worry, we do have some other states other than Vermont, New York and Illinois.”

“No way! There are more?” 

“I realise that it may be shocking to you, but actually…”

“I feel,” Danny said, still in his phone, “That this bit is getting old. Other than that - come on. Are we seriously considering this?”

“Why not? We don’t have anything planned for the rest of the month. Kurtis and I can work remotely and I’m pretty sure you can make music wherever.” 

“...fair enough.”

“Road trips are cool and really bring people together,” Kurtis said, “I read it in a book. Books never lie, right?”

“Okay, I see… But if, hypothetically, it happened - where would we go?” 

“Not to hint you anything,” Kurtis said, with Kiwi on his lap jokingly biting his fingers, “But I spent a year in this country, and still haven’t seen that canyon thing you americans seem to cherish.” 

“That’s… Actually a good idea,” Drew turned to Danny, “What do you think?” 

“I mean, if we can make it work…” 

“I think we can.” 

“I have no idea of our capabilities, but am up for whatever,” Kurtis said, and Kiwi barked approvingly. 

\--- 

It took them about a week to prepare. 

Danny’s parents took up Kiwi and Peanut. Drew’s coworker agreed to pay them a visit every now and again to water the plants. Kurtis bought a bunch of paper maps and found an actual compass in Danny’s attic. 

“You do realise we have phones, right,” Drew said, watching Kurtis redraw their entire route from Google Maps to a paper map. 

“You never know,” Kurtis said. 

Drew shrugged his shoulders. After all, he never knew. 

\---

They left home early in the morning their bags filled with books, and snacks, and sun cream, and portable phone chargers. Drew took his laptop, Danny took his guitar. Kurtis took his paper maps.

Kurtis was driving first, so he could get it over with and not drive for the rest of the day. Also, he felt much more confident on semi-familiar Illinois roads, then in the unknown that was Iowa. 

The city was only waking up when they left its borders. 

“I just wanna say, guys,” Drew was smiling, but there was an uncertainty to his smile, shyness almost, “I’m so happy this is happening. It’s so cool to just… Throw out the idea, and then, well... To see people actually being into that.” 

“We’ll see in a few days about the whole “into it” thing,” Danny mumbled from the back seat, “But I do enjoy most of your ideas.” 

“I’m up for whatever if you guys are involved,” Kurtis said, feeling very dumb and very happy at the same time. 

Drew gave his knee a squeeze and said nothing, but he probably felt the same. 

Danny fell asleep fast and only woke up when they stopped at the states border for Kurtis and Drew to switch places.


	2. Iowa.

Iowa was all yellowish green and brown and smelled like brier with a sagebrush undertone: bitter, and sweet, and somewhat comforting. It felt like a pleasant countryside with various hints of modern world scattered across the land. It was similar to Illinois, but felt different. Like a foreign shore. Like an adventure. 

“Better get used to the “I-80” signs, Kurt. Gonna be watching them for a while now,” Danny said. 

“A while being?..”

“All the way to Colorado.” 

Kurtis unfolded his paper map and studied it for a while. 

I-80 was boldly, obscenely huge. Starting at New Jersey, piercing through the whole country, all the way to California. From Atlantic to Pacific. 

Kurtis looked out the window and tried to imagine hundreds of hundreds miles of road going through various states and cities. He couldn’t. 

“Why… Why is that the way things are in here? How do you just have one gigantic road?” 

“‘Cause we can,” Drew said, “Also, we don’t only have one gigantic road. We have two.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Look at I-90. I think it’s actually bigger than this one.” 

“You gotta be kidding me.” 

“There’s also the best road of all, I-69,” Danny said, “Real thing. From Port Huron all the way to Texas.”

“All jokes aside -,” Kurtis folded his map back, “I thought I knew things... And it turns out I don’t know shit. And we barely even started the trip!” 

“There’ll be more, dude,” Drew said with a hint of smile on his lips, “As soon as you make one step away from your regular path, things just… Appear.” 

“Yeah, I made that step once,” Danny said, his tone thoughtful, “And ended up with the two of you. So, never since…” 

Kurtis laughed. 

\---

They spent a couple hours in Des Moines. Had lunch in a nice little diner in the outskirts of the city, bought some extra water bottles and refilled their supply of chips and apples. 

Kurtis also went in the souvenir isle and brought back an “I love Iowa” wristband. 

“It costs like 20 cents. I’m gonna get one in every state we go through. That should make a cool Instagram post.” 

“If you say so…” 

Danny got himself a couple cans of iced tea and a big cup of coffee. It was his turn to drive next. 

It was nice to get behind the wheel, to see the highway unfold itself in front of him. He was humming a melody that wasn’t a thing yet, but very well could be. 

Something light and sunny like… 

There will be a metaphor, a comparison. It’ll come. They have quite a journey ahead. 

\---

“So, we’re going straight for Omaha now, right?” 

“I mean, we’re driving past it and staying right outside, but sure.” Drew said. 

“”Cause it’s cheaper that way?” 

“Yes, and also it’s Monday tomorrow, so it would be pretty hard to drive through the city in the morning.” 

“Makes sense… Danny, you’ve been kinda quiet. You alright?” 

“All good. Could you, maybe, turn on one of our various road playlists? I wanna sing along to something.” 

“No way! A free concert of The Danny Gonzalez?” Drew gasped. 

“Who said anything about free? I’m expecting money on my bank account before the sun sets.” 

“Party pooper.” 

“That’s what they call me.” 

The music started and Drew immediately groaned, covering his face with both hands. Danny caught a sight of Kurtis in the rearview mirror - he was smiling toothy, happy as ever. 

“Is that what you want?” 

“That’s exactly what I want!” Kurtis said. 

“Okay, but we’re doing something normal after that,” Drew mumbled still covering his face. 

Danny inhaled and exhaled evening his breath for singing. 

“Some-body once told me…”


	3. Nebraska.

They got some takeout on their way to the motel and ate in silence of the room, taking in a pleasant lack of sounds after hours of talking, and laughing, and singing. 

The plan was to start watching some comedy show that Kurtis has downloaded, but after eating Danny fell face first onto the bed, promising that he will get up in two minutes and woke up an hour later to Drew shaking his shoulder. 

“It’s your turn to shower,” his hair was wet and he was already wearing pajama pants, “You’re not gonna fall asleep there, right?” 

Danny rubbed his face. A short nap has completely disoriented him. 

“I can go with him,” Kurtis said, “Just to make sure.” 

“That’s also an option,” Drew yawned and climbed under the sheets, “Do whatever you want. I’m driving first tomorrow, so goodnight y'all. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” 

“Sure won’t.” 

\---

The shower cabin was warm and smelt like Drew’s shampoo. Danny stood under the streaming water feeling the tiredness slowly fading. 

“Watch this shit,” Kurtis said, pouring some soap in his hands. He then pressed his palms together and parted them slowly, a bubble wall forming between his little fingers. He then blew into it, and it formed an actual bubble the size of a fist, that stayed on Kurtis’s hand for a second and then popped away. 

“Wow!” 

“I saw a gif on twitter today and tried it while washing my hands. Cool, right?” 

“Hold on, I wanna try. Gimme some of that…” 

He got a bubble after about a dozen attempts and by that time was fully and completely awake. 

Awake enough, at least, to find among all the Kurtis’s tattoos his personal favourite - a dinosaur, - and quickly brush his fingers past it. 

“I’d like to wash my hair, if there’s any soap left,” Kurtis said. 

“There’s plenty. Want me to do it for you?” 

“That would be real nice of you,” Kurtis said turning his back to Danny, “Mind also rubbing my neck a little while you’re there?” 

“Sure,” Danny put his hands on Kurtis’s shoulders. He was pale and hardly had any spots or freckles. Not a boy’s back, but a canvas, begging for a brush, “Never thought of asking before, but how come you'd never got yourself anything on the back?” 

“‘Cause I can’t see it if it’s on the back. What’s the point then?” 

“Fair enough. But what if you eventually run out of front?” 

“I don’t know, to be honest. Maybe start layering. We’ll see… Oh, yes. that’s good. Jeez, Danny, you’re amazing.” 

“Good to know,” Danny gave him a quick kiss on the back of the head. 

After a while he reached for the soap bag, that Drew left on the shower shelf. It wasn’t hard to guess, which shampoo was Kurtis’s - his was always the weirdest one. 

“Orange and mango? Dude.” 

“It smells real good. And it was on sale, so…” 

“Whatever,” the smell of fresh oranges filled the cabin, “Wow… Okay… I’m getting the oranges, but not mango.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s there. Just not as prominent.” 

Danny resisted the urge to try and taste orange-coloured and orange-smelling substance and instead rubbed it into Kurtis’s hair. 

“You know,” Kurtis said, while drying his hair with a spare towel, “That’s not quite how I expected a shared shower to go.” 

“Were you up for nasty stuff?” 

They spoke in whispers, because it was over midnight and Drew was sleeping just one bed away. 

“I mean, I thought I was. Turns out all I needed was to get my neck rubbed and head peted and that’s all.” 

“That’s fine with me,” Danny said, “As long as you are happy.” 

Kurtis moved closer and put his head on Danny’s shoulder. They sat together in silence, unsaid words dangling in the air. 

“I’m happy,” Kurtis whispered after a while. He smelled like fresh oranges, “Like… For serious. Being in love with you is pretty awesome.” 

“Same,” Danny said. 

Something warm was forming in his chest, something familiar. 

\---

It started raining somewhere near Grand Island. 

There was a hot and sunny morning before that: almost too hot and sunny for Drew’s liking. There was no wind, and air felt thick and heavy, almost suffocating. They asked a nearby diner to pack them some pancakes and hurried into the safe haven of their air-conditioned car. 

Danny and Kurtis talked lazily, just for the sake of talking, not fully awake yet. Drew sipped on his coffee and kept his eyes on the road. 

“Why is it so hot today?” Kurtis asked, “We’re not in the desert yet.” 

“A heat wave, maybe… Or there’s a thunder storm coming.”

And then, a couple miles before Grand Island, it started raining. First there was a single drop on the windshield, then another one, and then from there it escalated to a full on tropical shower. A splash of lightning ran through the dark sky. From far away the thunder came.

“At least it’ll cool down a bit,” Drew said, “But I’d like to stop and eat something soon. And, probably, wait till the storm calms down. ‘Cause it’s kinda unsettling.” 

“I could use some food,” Kurtis agreed, “And if we park far from the trees, it should be fine.” 

“There should be some diner just a mile down the road,” Danny said, looking at the map on his phone “Also, do you guys have any preferences of where to spend the night?” 

“Not really. As long, as there’s a bed and a shower,” Drew shrugged his shoulders. 

“Okay, cool. ‘Cause I’ve got some places… Wow. Guys, there’s a town here called “Curtis”. 

“Seriously?” 

“I shit you not. See for yourself,” Danny passed his phone to Kurtis. 

“I mean… It’s a Curtis with a “c”, basically a store-brand version,” he gave Danny the phone back, “But I’m fairly interested. Could still make an insta-post with it’s road sign.” 

“It has, like, eight hundred people. And a college of agriculture. And a golf course. That’s basically it.” 

“Sounds dope. Exactly a kind of place where some magic would be happening. Or, at least, a really cool love story.”

“Is there a motel there?” Drew asked. 

“I think so, yeah. So what, are we gonna stay in that middle of nowhere just for the concept?” 

“Are we not?” 

“...I’ll see if I can book us a room.” 

\---

The thunder has worn out while they were having lunch, there was only a soft rain, that felt almost warm and soothing. 

Drew got himself a mouthful of chewing gum and sat on the diner’s porch breathing in the smell of fresh grass and wet pavement. Danny joined him soon. 

Kurtis and the barman were having an intricate discussion about cocktails. That was going to take a while. 

“I was thinking, we should leave I-80 on the next turn and bury into the prairies,” Danny said, “Highway 34 goes straight to Curtis, and there’s gonna be half a dozen other towns on the way. And flower hills. Lots of sightseeing material.” 

“That sounds nice. How long will it take us to reach Curtis?” 

“About four hours. And our booking starts at eight. We basically have all the time in the world.” 

“I like the sound of it.” 

\--- 

They left I-80 and went to the south. Danny was driving, and Drew was at the backseat, half asleep, head on Kurtis’s shoulder. The rain had stopped at some point and they drove windows open, breathing in the damp, fresh smell of grass and road. 

They drove past a few towns, some of them so small, that could be seen in their entirety from the highway. Most of them had less than a dozen streets, but were considered towns nonetheless: Kurtis kept reading the road signs out loud and looking it up on his phone. 

Other than that there were mostly fields, and farms, and barns, and more fields - as far as Drew could see. Sometimes there was a sight of some working equipment - big hulking cars and some kind of planting equipment that looked like oversized rakes. 

“What do they grow here?” Kurtis asked. 

“Corn, mostly,” Danny answered, “Also wheat and hay, but that, I think, is further to the north, so… Corn.” 

“Wow, dude. I’m getting some serious “Children of the corn” vibes.” 

“Chill out,” Drew said, “They’ve only planted it, like, three weeks ago. It’s not at the Stephen King level yet.” 

“Fair’s fair,” Kurtis said, “But if we stop for some coffee and I hear kids laughing - I swear to God…” 

“I can go into a church with you to check for a Jesus statue made out of crops, if it makes you feel better.”

“I’m not getting any of those references,” Danny said, “But can somehow feel, that it’s better this way.” 

\---

They found a rest spot and pulled over to watch the sunset. 

The sky, the fields - everything drowned in angry, vibrant orange. The lower the sun went, the darker it became, new tones adding to the picture: pink, red, purple. It felt so real all of a sudden, so significant. As if there was more to it than just sun going away for the night. 

Danny took out his guitar and sat on the car hood, iterating over the strings, his silhouette sharp and clear against the sky. He was humming to himself, stopping every now and again, as if unsure of what’s going to go next, playing no more than a couple cords at a time. 

Drew thought, that he was probably trying to write down the sunset. 

\---

“How far away is Curtis?” Drew asked, when they were getting back into the car. 

“I’m right here, silly,” Kurtis said. 

Danny snickered. 

\---

It was a nice, lazy morning. 

Kurtis had to record his weekly podcast, so he occupied one of the rooms and promised to be out in less than two hours. Danny got dressed and went out for a run. Drew went back to bed. 

He woke up to Danny falling on the bed next to him. 

“Top of the morning, sleeping beauty,” he was out of breath a little, face pinkish. 

“Hi. How’s your run been?” 

“Fine. Went all the way to the golf course… Saw a very cute dog on the way back.” 

“Nice.” 

“Indeed,” he moved closer, putting his head on Drew’s chest, heavy and familiar. 

Drew patted his hair. 

“What do you wanna do now?” Danny asked, “There’s still, like, an hour before Kurtis is finished.” 

“I’m not gonna get out of bed, that’s for sure,” Drew said. 

“I mean, I could think of some things that… Don’t require leaving bed,” Danny moved over and looked into his eyes, “If you’re up to it.” 

“I may be up to it,” Drew said, “Let’s find out.” 

“Let’s find out,” Danny echoed. He then pulled the blanket off Drew and moved closer. 

He was hot to the touch, still a bit sweaty from the run, lips dry and soft against Drew’s neck. He was careful, but there was an eagerness to it, impatience of sort. He must have wanted it long before asking, must have stirred himself up with all kinds of thoughts. 

“Want me to blow you?” Drew asked. 

“I do,” Danny breathed out, “Gosh, I do.” 

Drew kissed him shortly on the lips. 

“It would probably be easier for me to stand on the floor. But I kinda made up my mind about not leaving bed, so… Put your back against the headboard, I guess, and lets dance from there.” 

\--- 

Danny was a mess. 

Danny was whimpering, rocking his hips, muttering something under his breath. Drew couldn’t see his face, but imagined the way it looked: eyes closed, lips parted, hair a total mess. 

The picture made him squeeze his own erection through the pajama pants. 

“Drew, I’m gonna…” 

Drew pulled away. 

Danny had his eyes shut, muscles tense. He was panting, whimpering, on the very edge, but not quite there. 

Drew put his hands on Danny’s thighs, stroking gently. He was yearning to touch, to be touched, he couldn’t resist the urge to press his lips to Danny’s shoulder, to stroke his knee and a tender place on his side, right below ribs. 

Danny came all over his belly, biting his knuckles not to moan out loud. 

“You’re gonna have teeth marks,” Drew said, “Again. Dumbass.” 

“Don’t give a shit,” Danny said, “Want me to return the favor?” 

“You can just jerk me off,” Drew sat next to Danny, back against the headboard. 

“Do we have any lube?

“It’s in Kurtis’s bag with the medical stuff. We do, though, have about a biggilion bottles of suncream lying around.” 

“That’s gross!” 

“Wanna try anyway?” 

“Sure, why not.” 

\---

"Okay, I'm done. Did I miss anything?" 

"No, no, not at all. How about breakfast?" 

\---

There were two paths before them now. They could go south to McCook and further, almost reaching Kansas, then take a turn on I-34 and drive west all the way to Denver. The other option was to go north, back to I-80 and go south-west from there. Both of the paths had an appeal to them. 

Kurtis laid out his paper map on the car hood and sighed. It wasn’t a good idea to draw their route before it was even started - they haven’t been following it too much. Black marker line was the shortest way from A to B, but not the most interesting one, as it turned out.  
New stops added to their navigator daily. First Winterset, to see the covered bridges, then Curtis, for no reason other than it’s name, now Grand Junction, to see an ancient dinosaur pathway. And mountains! They had to see so many mountains. Maybe even go hiking for a day, if Danny would manage to talk Drew into it. 

But for that they had to get to Colorado, one way or another. Kurtis scratched the back of his head. 

“How’s it going?” Drew asked. 

“I’m still thinking.”

Drew came closer and looked at the map for a few seconds, then shrugged his shoulders. 

“Toss a coin,” he said, “I’m gonna be in the car.” 

“I don’t think this is the way you’re supposed to make decisions,” Kurtis said, “But at this point…” he searched through his pockets and took out a quarter, “Heads - north, tails - south,” he tossed it into the air. 

“...oh valley, oh plenty…” Danny hummed, “Oh valley, oh plenty…” 

“South it is,” Kurtis said, “Let’s go.” 

\---

The road to McCook drowned in honeysuckles and all sorts of wild grasses. It smelled the way Kurtis assumed a witches garden would smell - bitter, and heady, and fanciful. There was an echo of a fairy tale in the soft buzzing of bees. 

“I remember a poem we learned at school,” Drew said, “By… Dickinson, I think?  
To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,  
One clover, and a bee,  
And revery.  
The revery alone will do,  
If bees are few.” 

“Wow, dude,” Kurtis said, “Your poetry knowledge is un-bee-lievable.” 

“Jesus Christ, Kurtis…” 

“Come on, dude! Bee puns are good for your health…” 

“Don’t you fucking…” 

“...they give you a dose of Vitamin Bee!” 

“Well, here we go…” 

“Seriously though,” Danny said, “Those bee puns are not that great…” 

“No, Danny, please, not you!” 

“...I don’t get what all the buzz is about.” 

“I hate both of you..." 

\---

They stopped at the gas station on the very border of the state. 

Danny filled up on cold coffee for his driving duty, Drew bought a paper-cover romantic novel, called something by the lines of “Love, danger and passion”. Kurtis went straight to the souvenir isle and bought an “I love Nebraska” wristband. 

He hadn't been joking about getting the whole set.


	4. Colorado. (1)

“You know…” Kurtis said, staring thoughtfully into his plate of pasta, “As much as I love all this, I fell, that there’s a room for improvement.” 

“If you’re talking about ketchup - yeah, it’s quite inedible,” Drew nodded. 

“That too, but I was talking about getting drunk out of my mind. Feels like a good idea to spend an evening.” 

“Right,” Drew said, “And someone will have to drive with a hangover.” 

“I think I know what to do with that,” Danny said, “You know, what’s the best cure for a hangover?” 

“I don’t think I do.” 

“A hiking trip into the mountains!” 

“No. Absolutely not.”

\---

“A short one. Less than ten miles. And you two are driving the next day.” 

“That’s doable,” Kurtis said, “But I’m positive you’ll like it! I wouldn’t drag you there otherwise.” 

Drew gave him an unenthusiastic look. 

\---

All three glasses had to be put in one line for Kurtis to make a cool picture. There was Danny’s tequila, Drew’s beer and Kurtis’s… Whatever it was, that Kurtis had ordered. 

“Fuck’s that?” Danny asked. 

“Colorado Bulldog,” Kurtis said, while picking an Instagram filter, “I want to have an authentic experience, so I googled Colorado’s state drink. That’s what came up, and they happened to have it on the menu, so…” 

“Looks like White Russian,” Drew said, “Is there, like, milk or what?” 

“I mean, it’s supposed to have some cream, vodka, coffee liqueur and… Cola, I suppose? I don’t remember the whole thing,” he posted the picture and put his phone aside, “Let’s find out. Cheers?” 

“Cheers.” 

They clinked their glasses. 

\---

“Never have I ever… Been on a blind date,” Drew sad. 

Danny shook his head. Kurtis took a sip of his drink. 

“Some details, if you may?” 

“I was, like, seventeen. There was this girl from another school that I’ve never met, but our, like, mutual friends thought we’d make a great couple. They’ve arranged everything.” 

“How did it go?” 

“She was really sweet, we had lots of fun, but never, like… Never looked at each other that way, you know. She has a girlfriend now, and an actual parrot. Lives her best life.” 

“I see… Danny, your turn.” 

“Okay… Never have I ever...” he was quiet for a moment, “Never have I ever made out with a total stranger.” 

“Can’t recall that,” Drew said. 

Kurtis took a sip of his drink. 

“I beg your pardon?” 

“It was in highschool. There was this big ass party, and everyone was really drunk, and I was dancing with some girl from another school - I didn’t even know her name - and then this really nice song started to play, and it felt like I was in a movie, like, this is The Moment, so I kissed her, and she kissed back, and it was all wonderful…” he scratched his chin, “And five minutes later I through up on her shoes, and we’ve never met again.” 

“Wow,” Danny said. “That’s… That’s so you, that I don’t even know how to express that.” 

“I feel attacked, but sure.” 

“Okay,” Drew looked fairly impressed, “Your turn, Kurtis.” 

“Never have I ever… Had a crush on Tom Holland." 

"Well, that feels targeted," Danny said and took a sip of his drink. 

\---

They had to stop walking and take a seat, so the world would stop spinning around Kurtis. Luckily, there was a bench - an old and lonely one by a pine tree, surrounded by blackberry bushes. 

Kurtis sat down and closed his eyes. He felt nausea and embarrassment. 

“This isn’t fair,” he whined, “How the fuck… I started drinking, like, three years earlier than both of you. How the fuck am I the weak link?” 

“Maybe that’s the case,” Drew said, inspecting a particularly nice pine cone he found on the ground, “You’ve… Worn off. Can’t handle boose anymore.” 

“This probably doesn’t make any sense, but sure,” Kurtis mumbled, “Whatever you say, sweetheart.” 

“In your defence,” Danny said, “Drew had, like, two beers. And you had... M-much more than that.” 

“Can’t argue,” Drew said. 

Someone - probably Danny - put hands in Kurtis’s hair and stroked it gently. There was a knowing carelessness to this touch, an experience. It felt shamelessly, sinfully good - Kurtis leaned into the touch, sighing silently. 

There was a dry rustle, a sound of footsteps - Drew came closer and stood by Danny’s side. 

“Do you have any other… L-literature references for us to ruin?” Danny asked. 

“I can probably think of some, if you ask nicely,” Drew sounded detached, out of it a little, saying words for the sake of saying words. Kurtis felt an urge to grab him, to ensure that he is actually here, with them. He reached back and grabbed a handful of Drew’s t-shirt.   
Drew didn’t say anything, just covered Kurtis’s hand with his own, fingers warm and steady, familiar, “Okay, I think I know one…   
The mountain sat upon the plain  
In… Something-something chair,  
His observation omnifold,   
His inquest everywhere.” 

“Fuck’s “omnifold”?” 

“I think it’s something like… Very big. Or very many.” 

“I thought you st-tudied that sort of shit.” 

“Well, yeah... But it’s been ten years, so fuck if I remember.” 

“You remember quad… Qua-dra-tic equasion, it’s no big deal.” 

“Can you two just shut your pieholes and kiss already?” Kurtis asked. 

Usually it was nice, amusing even, to listen to Drew and Danny argue for the sake of arguing. After all, it was their way of copying with various bullshit they went through - Kurtis couldn’t judge them. But the night was young and vivid, and those two idiots were wasting the time they could spend doing better things. 

“I suppo-,” - Drew didn’t finish. 

They were kissing soundly, grinning against each other’s mouths. Drew squeezed Kurtis’s hand and there was something joyful to it, a sense of involvement. Kurtis squeezed back. 

“I came up with a pun. If you’re still interested,” Kurtis said. 

“Please, no," Drew breathed, his voice shaky. 

“Why don’t mountains catch colds?..” 

Drew put a hand on Kurtis’s mouth. 

\---

Danny was laying on Kurtis’s bed, hands behind head, staring into the ceiling. 

“My problem with P-plato’s “Republic” is the fact, that everyone just goes along with whatever shit Soc… Socrat… Soc-rat-es is sayin’. He’s all like “if a horse’s not a horse, is a human still a human?” and everyone is like, “yeah, dude, let’s have a hundred p-page discussion about that”, and it fucks my brain.” 

“My problem with Plato’s “Republic”,” Drew was unbuttoning Kurtis’s shirt, “Is the fact, that twenty percent of reading it is actually reading… And eighty is an overwhelming want to tell everyone about how smart I am.” 

“My prob-lem with Plato’s “R-republic”, Kurtis was falling asleep in Drew’s hands and neither could nor wanted to do anything about it, “Is that I never read it. ‘N not going to.” 

“Fair enough,” Danny said, “Are you guys joining me or what?” 

“We won’t all fit in one bed.” 

“We can try!" 

\---

It took three anti-hangover pills, one bottle of water and a hot shower for Kurtis to look like a living human being again, and three alarm clocks instead of the usual two to wake Danny up. Apart from that, everything was alright. 

The hotel offered some continental breakfast: boiled eggs and hot toasts with various kinds of jam and butter. 

“Do you think,” Drew asked, “That you can tell butter from oleo?” 

“Right now?” Kurtis asked. He was slowly chewing on a dry toast, eyeing a coffee machine on the other side of the room, “Absolutely not.” 

“I mean, in general.” 

“I would,” Danny said, “My grandma loves it. Like, every time I stayed at her place when mom and dad would, like, go on a business trip or something, she would make me sandwiches with oleo. Can’t say I loved it, but you know…” 

“I see.” 

“When I was, like, twelve there was this big oleo shortage. It was pretty bad, ‘cause there was jewish easter coming, and they couldn’t make some traditional food, because there was oleo needed.” he was quiet for a moment, “I don’t know why I remember this.” 

“You remember a ton of useless shit,” Drew said reassuringly, “But I’m not to judge.” 

\---

They went on the goddamn hiking trip. 

The route was nine miles long, with practically no snowy areas and great view of the forest and the mountains. There was no visible path, just some colored signs here and there, but other than that - no presence of the civilisation. The sky above them was a brave, vibrant blue. 

They have probably walked for quite a while already, when Kurtis broke the silence. 

“If this is all a story,” Kurtis said, “Than now it’s just the moment for a big, heartfelt speech about love, and relationship, and all that stuff.” 

“No-no,” Drew said, “If this was a love story, we would all get drunk the night before…” 

“Which we did,” Danny said. 

“Sush! So, we would all meet each other in a bar, get drunk together, have sex, then have a very awkward morning, regretting what we did and at this point be mad enough to get into a big argument.” 

“Yeah, of course! And then someone - probably Danny - would be like “I don’t wanna see you ever again!” and run away into the woods. And get lost.” 

“And the two of us, bonded by shame, would declare peace and go looking for him. Probably having some kind of backstory talk on the way.” 

“Why am I always the drama queen in those concepts of yours?” 

“Because even in false self, the traces of true self preserve,” Drew deadpanned. 

“Hey!” 

“Don’t worry, we’ll give you a redemption ark,” Kurtis said, “You’ll have some kind of a tragic flashback, while lost in the woods. So when we finally find you, you’ll have your mind made up already.” 

“Yeah, and then we decide, that we want to give this shit a try, and then there’s a timelapse to, like, a year later, when we all live together and have a dog and a car,” Danny climbed the trunk of a fallen tree, stretching his hands out to maintain balance, “And then it’s either “roll credits”, or some hint for sequel. Like, I don’t know, parents visit or a mysterious call from somebody’s ex.” 

“I like it,” Drew said, “It’s a… It’s a nice scenario. I could see it happening.” 

“Do you want me to curse you and run into the woods?”

“No, no, I think we already passed this stage at our relationship. I just… Like to think that the way we got together isn’t… You know… They only way it could happen, if that makes sense?” 

“It really doesn’t,” Danny said. 

“I’ll try to explain than,” Drew looked around, as if the words he was searching for could be written on one of the pine trees, “It’s just… This whole thing about the three of us was so random, you know? Like, everything about it is just a series of fortunate events. If it wasn’t for Alex's birthday, I wouldn’t go to Crazy Jimmy’s and meet you. And Kurtis… Man, what were the odds, that we would both meet you separately, and both have a crush on you? It blows my mind every time I think about it,” he stopped walking, feeling a familiar fright and sourness at the back of his throat, “Just imagine - or, in fact, don’t imagine, it’s not a good thing to… Imagine, if a single step was done wrong? If I didn’t miss my flight and actually leave New York before meeting you at the airport? Or if you and Danny weren’t both invited to that influencer party, or whatever this shit was? If any of these things went wrong - we wouldn’t be here right now…” he rubbed his temples, “I’m… I’m sorry. This was uncalled for. And I’m overthinking shit again. It ain’t cool.” 

Kurtis stepped into his personal space - a mess of ginger curls, a scent of oranges. He then raised his hand and gently booped Drew on the nose. 

“You use that brain of yours too much,” he said, “Give it some rest. Breath a little.” 

Drew looked at him with wide eyes for a couple of moments, then smiled and took a deep breath.


End file.
